Healthy Babies to Reach All England Family Hubs by 2028

If you are expecting a baby, or you are supporting someone who is, this announcement matters because it is about where help turns up and how easy it is to find. On 30 September 2026, the Department of Health and Social Care said the Healthy Babies programme will be rolled out to every Best Start Family Hub in England, with more than 1,000 hubs expected by 2028. (gov.uk) The promise is fairly simple on paper: parents should be able to get infant feeding help, perinatal mental health support, support with parent-infant relationships, and contact with midwifery and health visiting services in one local place instead of chasing separate doors. (gov.uk)

This is the government’s attempt to bring back some of the thinking behind Sure Start, but in a newer form. In practice, that means family hubs are supposed to work as a local front door for advice, activities and referrals, while connecting health, early years and family support rather than treating them as separate systems. (gov.uk) That wider rollout is already under way. GOV.UK said on 30 March 2026 that more than 200 new Best Start Family Hubs had opened in previously unfunded areas, giving every council area access to a hub, with a longer-term plan for up to 1,000 hubs and 2,000 satellite locations by the end of 2028. (gov.uk)

Why does the Healthy Babies part matter so much? Because the earliest months are often when families face the most pressure but have the least time to work out which service does what. Government guidance says the model pays special attention to pregnancy and the first 1,001 days, while also welcoming families with older children up to 19, or 25 for young people with SEND. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk) When this works well, it should mean practical help rather than policy jargon: someone to speak to about feeding, someone who notices if a parent is struggling, and somewhere that helps with bonding and early development before small problems become larger ones. The official guidance says every hub should offer a core mix of parenting advice, stay and play, support for learning at home and universal health services, especially for babies and their families. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)

**What this means for families:** the change is not only about opening buildings. The guidance says local authorities are expected to use outreach workers and family navigators, and to place 70% of hubs in the 30% most deprived areas, so support reaches people who may not ask for help first or may have been missed before. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk) That is important because the government itself says more than half of local authorities already had family hubs without Healthy Babies services. In other words, many families could find a hub nearby but still not get the joined-up support ministers were talking about. This rollout is meant to close that gap. (gov.uk)

The announcement did not stop with babies. Yvette Cooper, the Health and Social Care Secretary, also said a new adult social care workforce plan will be published by the end of 2026, alongside what the department describes as the first national collective pension scheme for adult social care and a new champion for unpaid carers. Ministers are presenting this as another step towards a National Care Service, with Baroness Louise Casey’s independent commission due to report by summer 2027. (gov.uk) For younger readers, the useful way to read this is as one big argument about care across a lifetime. The government is trying to place baby support, family help, care work and support for unpaid carers inside the same story: services should be easier to find, closer to home and less fragmented. That reading is an inference from the official announcement and guidance, which both place these reforms inside a neighbourhood health approach. (gov.uk)

There was also a separate but linked health announcement on violence against women and girls. The department said the NHS response will be backed by £49.4 million over three years for Integrated Care Boards, including up to £34.4 million for 12 ICBs to begin the Steps to Safety referral service through GPs, plus a further £15 million for victim support services. (gov.uk) The government has described violence against women and girls as a public health epidemic, and it plans a consultation on a national framework covering prevention, early identification, support and recovery, as well as a new National Clinical Lead. In plain terms, ministers want specialist support to be easier to reach through ordinary health services, including a visit to your GP. (gov.uk)

The big question now is delivery. The government’s guidance says more than £900 million will be invested between 2026 and 2029 to build Best Start Family Hubs and Healthy Babies services, and that funding is supposed to improve and reshape local support rather than simply relabel what already exists. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk) So when you hear ministers talk about hubs, the real test is not the branding. It is whether a parent can get help quickly, whether professionals actually work together, and whether families in poorer areas notice that support has become easier to reach. That is what families, schools, health staff and local councils should be watching over the next two years as the 2028 deadline comes closer. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)